Zaandam: 11-Night Mexican Riviera

Vancouver cruise port is the main gateway to Alaska, and nearly every Alaska cruise that runs the full Inside Passage route starts or ends here. The terminal is at Canada Place, a distinctive sail-shaped building right on the downtown waterfront.

San Diego is a major cruise port on the Southern California coast, about 120 miles south of Los Angeles and directly on the Mexican border. The B Street Cruise Ship Terminal and adjacent Broadway Pier sit in downtown San Diego along the Embarcadero waterfront, within walking distance of the Gaslamp Quarter, Seaport Village, and the USS Midway Museum.

Stretched along Banderas Bay with the Sierra Madre mountains rising directly behind the shoreline, Puerto Vallarta draws about 290,000 residents year-round and far more during the winter cruise season. The city has managed to grow as a tourist destination while keeping its Mexican identity intact, particularly in the Zona Romantica and the malecon (boardwalk) areas where local life and tourism coexist on the same streets.

One of Mexico's oldest beach resorts, Mazatlan's cruise port is walkable to the historic Centro Historico with its 19th-century architecture and vibrant Plazuela Machado. The city's famous cliff divers perform daily, and miles of golden beaches stretch along the coast.

Cabo San Lucas sits at the very tip of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. This is a tender port: ships anchor in Cabo San Lucas Bay and passengers ride small boats to the marina.